The organisation behind these records
When a record and a published history disagree, the record written at the time wins, and the history becomes a question, not an answer. An entry that gives a town but no county, or a camp but no town, is deliberately vague or locally obvious. Local knowledge, not a global search, usually settles it.
When is a match safe to use?
The common dead ends here are a shared name, a variant spelling, a thin record for the dates you need, and a unit that cannot be fixed from the clues available. When a record set ends before your dates, or begins after them, the problem is coverage, and no variation of search terms will fix a coverage problem.
What does this section cover?
Not everything is free online, and not everything free online is complete. Some record series are free at official archives, some are free only as indexes with paid copies, and some are not online at all, so a research plan that assumes everything is a click away will stall on the first record that is not digitised. This section is organised as one pillar guide plus supporting guides that each answer one question about the same record type. Read the pillar first for the shape of the records, then follow the supporting guides for the detail that matches your case.
The records in this section are held principally by The National Archives, the Ministry of Defence, service museums, and commercial partners where stated. Holdings change as transfer and digitisation programmes proceed, so the holder and coverage statements in each guide describe the general position and point you to the holder's current guidance for the exact position.
Starting here, in order
Write the match standard for this person before you search, and hold every candidate to it. A standard written after the search will always fit the result. A search term that returns nothing in one catalogue may return everything in another, because catalogues index different fields. Try the holder catalogue directly.
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1 | Fix the person first: name, number, service and dates. |
| 2 | Fix the unit or ship, where the record allows it. |
| 3 | Open the record for those dates only, and note the reference. |
| 4 | Add dated facts only to the timeline, each with its source note. |
What to read next here
If a related guide looks irrelevant, read its first paragraph before dismissing it. Irrelevance is often a misjudged title, not a misplaced guide. Do not collect records for their own sake. Each new record should earn its place by answering a question the timeline actually asks. The person at the centre of this work deserves a timeline built from records, not from wishes. Keep it that way.
Primary sources for this guide
This guide keeps its claims general and points to the official holders, so the holder itself is the place to check the current position. It is general educational information only, not personal professional advice, and it offers no record lookup service and no determination of any individual's service.